AP Gov: EVERYTHING to Know

Declaration of Independence

natural rights
social contract
grievances

Articles of Confederation

1st gov of US
limited powers
led to the Constitutional Convention

Federalist 10

written by Madison
convinced people to ratify the Constitution
danger of factions
big government (more factions) are good

Brutus 1

big country can't represent everyone's ideals
confederation \> federation

Natural rights

life, liberty, property/pursuit of happiness
inalienable
government can't take away without consent of the governed

popular sovereignty

government's right to rule comes from the people --\> the people have the right to rebel if they aren't upholding the social contract/protecting natural rights

social contract

people give up freedoms in exchange for an orderly society

limited government

power of the government is limited by the constitution

republicanism

people vote for representatives

civil society

private institutions

elite democracy

elites have a disproportionate amount of government influence

pluralist democracy

participation in non-government (interest) groups is essential. when many groups compete, no 1 group dominated (fed10)

participatory democracy

widespread political participation is essential for democracy to function

failures of the Articles of Confederation

no ability to tax, regulate interstate commerce, enforce treaties, standardize currency

senate

2 representatives per state (equal)

house of representatives

based on population (proportional)

electoral college

states have electors based on population

ex post facto laws

declaring someone guilty of a crime that wasn't a crime when they committed it

bill of attainder

law declaring someone guilty of a crime

writ of habeus corpus

no one can be detained without charge

full faith and credit clause

legal documents in one state must be reconized in all others

privileges and immunities clause

states can't discriminate against people from other states

supremacy clause

fed laws \> state laws

New Jersey Plan

unicameral legislature
1 vote per state

Virginia plan

bicameral legislature
proportional representation

the great compromise

bicameral
house of reps: proportional
senate: equal representation

3/5 compromise

enslaved people count as 3/5 of a person

fugitive slave law

free states must return slaves to slave states

separation of powers

to prevent tyranny --\> checks and balances
(judicial review, veto, override)

federalism

power is divided between federal and state governments

enumerated powers

powers explicitly given to congress in article 1 section 8

implied powers

"congress can make any laws necessary and proper to carry out their enumerated powers"

amendment process

2/3 congressional vote (or national convention) --\> 3/4 of states (or 3/4 of special state convention)

Marbury v. Madison

established judicial review

McCulloch v. Maryland facts

federal bank branch in MD was taxed by MD (15k/year) McCulloch refused to pay & MD sued

McCulloch v. Maryland Constitutional Question

necessary and proper: can congress create a bank?
supremacy: can a state tax a federal insitutiton?

McCulloch v. Maryland decision/reasoning

Congress can create a bank (commerce clause)
a state cannot tax a federal institution (power to tax \= power to destroy)

US v. Lopez facts

Lopez was convicted under the Gun Free School Zones act for bringing an unloaded gun to school & he appealed his conviction

US v. Lopez Constitutional Question

commerce clause: did congress have the authority to pass the GFSZA?

US v. Lopez decision/reasoning

congress did not have the authority to create the GFSZA under the commerce clause. they may regulate channels of commerce, anything moving across states, economic activities that impact interstate commerce

10th amendment

powers not delegated to the federal gov't belong to the states --\> reserved powers

interstate commerce clause

congress may regulate all interstate commerce

cooperative federalism (marble cake)

programs/authority are shared and are not strictly divided between federal and state governments

dual federalism (layer cake)

clear divide between authority of fed and state gov'ts

selective incorporation

Bill of Rights freedoms are applied to the states on a case-by-case basis under the 14th amendment's due process clause

fiscal federalism

cooperative federalism involving grants-in-aid

grants-in-aid

federal government gives money to states so they will implement a certain policy

categorical grants

government strictly defines what the money must be spent on

block grants

grant-in-aid with more spending freedom

devolution

transfer of power from federal to state governments (ex: welfare)

unfunded mandate

federal government requires states to do something w/ no money attached (ex. Americans w/ Disabilities Act)

Federalist 51

checks and balances
(veto, judicial review, veto override, bicameral congress)
independence of the judiciary (lifetime appointments) prevents corruption by other branches

political ideology

an individual's set of beliefs about government and policy (≠ party) liberal, conservative, libertarian

political socialization

experiences/factors that shape one's political values, attitudes, and behaviors

examples of political socialization

family, schools, religious organizations, race, gender, etc.

generational effects

impact of historical events experienced by a generation on their political views

life cycle effect

impact of age/life stage on political views (ie: college students care more about student loans than medicare)

impressionable age hypothesis

events from ages 14-24 will shape views

5 Core American Values

1) individualism
2) equality of opportunity
3) free enterprise
4) rule of law
5) limited government

individualism

individuals are responsible for themselves and their decisions

equality of opportunity

status is based on effort rather than inheritance

free enterprise

government intrudes as little as possible in the economy

rule of law

no one is above the law

globalization

interconnectedness of people, businesses, and countries throughout the world

outsourcing

companies move to places that have cheaper labor

public opinion

sum of individual attitudes about government, policies, and issues

focus groups

small groups assembled for a conversation
- important for understanding nuance of views
- limited because of size

elections as a way to measure public opinion (drawbacks)

limited when all eligible voters don't vote, too broad for complex policy issues

public opinion polls

- random digit dialing
- internet surveys (not voluntary)

entrance polls

poll of people coming into an event, about to vote

exit polls

survey outside of voting locations

benchmark polls

taken at the beginning of a campaign to gauge support and the issues people think are most important

tracking polls

to determine the support over the length of a campaign

scientific polling

representative poll of randomly selected people in a statistically significant sample size using neutral language

random selection

method of choosing all responded without over or under-representing any group
(no voluntary response)

representative sample

sample that represents the demographics of the population (sample often weighted)

margin of error in a scientific poll

+/- 3%

problems with question wording (in polls)

- can guide respondents to a specific answer
- too much info in the question
- double negatives
- yes/no questions (acquiescence bias)

issues with question order (in polls)

a previous question can influence a future answer
(Ex: free speech --\> burning the flag vs. patriotism --\> burning the flag)

push polls

disguised as surveys, designed to shape public opinion with false and misleading info ("would you vote for John McCain if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?")

conservatism

more control of social behavior, few regulations on business, less governmental interference in the economy

liberalism

less control of social behavior, more regulations on business, more governmental interference in the economy

libertarianism

very little government regulations beyond the protection of private property & individual liberty

Keynesianism

- liberal
- demand + individual decisions drive cycles
- raise taxes in times of expansion to take money out of the economy
- borrow to inject money into the economy in times of contraction (deficit sepending)

Supply-Side (Reaganomics)

- conservative
- increased production drives growth
- cutting taxes and reducing regulations in times of downturn will increase business investment
- business growth --\> jobs --\> consumer demand

fiscal policy

governmental use of taxes and spending to stabilize the economy

monetary policy

how the government manages supply/demand & the value of the dollar (the Fed)

entitlement spendiing

promised by law to citizens, mandatory (Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment)

discretionary spending

changed year-to-year (Medicaid, TANF)

political participation

ways individuals can act to shape laws

linkage institutions

channels that connect people with government

15th Amendment

right to vote cannot be denied on the basis of race, color, or previous condition of servitude

17th Amendment

the senate is elected by the people

19th Amendment

right to vote cannot be denied on the basis of sex

23rd Amendment

Washington DC gets 3 electoral votes

24th Amendment

banned poll taxes to vote

26th Amendment

voting age \= 18

27th Amendment

Congress cannot raise their own pay

legal barriers to voting

age

institutional (structural) barriers to voting

- registration requirements
- voter ID requirements
- lack of access to polling places
- state residency requirements
- felony convictions